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More doctors trained year-on-year to nearly 20% more than 5 years ago and nearly 40% more than England

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From Scottish medical training statistics: FOI release published today, the above, revealing year-on-year increases in the number completing medicine degrees. There are no precise data for England but the annual figure is estimated at 9 200. With ten times the population, you might have expected England to train 10 times the Scottish figure of 1 475 or 14 750. They only trained 9 200, only 62% of the Scottish figure. Sources: https://www.gov.scot/publications/foi-202600503588/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/473206/medical-graduates-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/ Continue reading More doctors trained year-on-year to nearly 20% more than 5 years ago and nearly 40% more than England

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Another charity duped into thinking that Labour will do anything for the homeless despite it still being 67% higher for children in England

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Crisis Scotland today has: We warmly welcome Scottish Labour’s pledge to end homelessness by 2040. This is the first manifesto commitment of its kind in a Scottish election and sets a new standard of aspiration. We call on all other parties contesting the Scottish government elections to share in this ambition and thereby create the political consensus needed to make it a reality. https://www.crisis.org.uk/about-us/crisis-media-centre/crisis-scotland-responds-to-scottish-labours-election-manifesto/ Crisis already know that only the SNP can be trusted to actually do anything significant: A 2022 study by Crisis found: The proportion of people suffering from the worst forms of homelessness in Scotland is about half as … Continue reading Another charity duped into thinking that Labour will do anything for the homeless despite it still being 67% higher for children in England

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In 2024 alone Scotland’s surplus gas trade was worth 7 billion

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The Guardian’s Nils Pratley today has: The UK needs more North Sea gas, not greater reliance on US imports – Transition to a cleaner future takes time and we need supplies that are the least polluting and have the lowest cost. Where are those supplies coming from? The ‘UK’ it seems. Any idea from which part? Buckinghamshire? Nils does not say. See this: From Energy Statistics for Scotland – Q3 2025 published yesterday, latest figures, the above chart and: Total gas consumption in Scotland in 2024 was 41.7 TWh. This is down 30.2% from the 2005-2007 baseline figure when 59.8 TWh of gas … Continue reading In 2024 alone Scotland’s surplus gas trade was worth 7 billion

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As UK Government fails 7 out of 10 targets for England, Scottish Government initiatives push Scotland well ahead of the rest of the UK in preserving nature but this is all they have to criticise it weeks before the Election

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The Guardian’s Severin Carroll today has: MSPs not told about collapse of funding deal for Scottish nature restoration Exclusive: Ministers accused of trying to keep investment firm’s withdrawal from partnership with NatureScot under wraps. A funding deal to raise £100m from private investors for urgently needed nature restoration in Scotland has fallen through without the Scottish parliament being told. The Guardian has learned that Aberdeen, the investment firm, decided to withdraw from a partnership with the agency NatureScot to raise at least £100m for conservation projects from commercial and private investors late last year. Scottish government ministers did not disclose that when the Highlands … Continue reading As UK Government fails 7 out of 10 targets for England, Scottish Government initiatives push Scotland well ahead of the rest of the UK in preserving nature but this is all they have to criticise it weeks before the Election

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SNP share in polls growing steadily as May 7th looms

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In the last 10 polls going back to February 2026, the average SNP share has been – 36.5% In the previous 10 polls it was only 34.4 and in the previous 4 sets of 10, dating back to early February 2025 – 34.4, 33.9, 33.6 and 34.6, clearly stuck around 34 and short of a level that might win an outright majority. So, in the last ten polls, a clear sign of a significant increase to average 36.5, much closer to an overall win. Also, in the last three, a 39 and a 41, the highest share since September 2023. Continue reading SNP share in polls growing steadily as May 7th looms

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At every level, including the key entry level, nurses in Scotland are paid significantly more than their equivalents in England or Wales

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The above, from What are nursing staff paid in each of the UK countries in 2026-27? in Nursing Standard was posted on 3 April 2026 and to my knowledge ignored by the media operating in Scotland. Comparison of the three reveals this one important difference – at every level, including the key entry level, nurses in Scotland are paid significantly more than their equivalents in England or Wales, Source: https://rcni.com/nursing-standard/newsroom/analysis/nhs-pay-rise-2026-27-rates-for-nursing-staff-across-uk-221881?utm_campaign=WEEKLY%20BRIEFING%2013.04.26%20-%20REG%20A%20%28ALL%20USER%20DATA%29%20LOW&utm_content=ZONE%201%20LINK%201%20NEWS%20NHS%20pay%20rise%202026-27%3A%20the%20rates%20for%20nursing%20staff%20across%20the%20UK&utm_term=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Adestra Continue reading At every level, including the key entry level, nurses in Scotland are paid significantly more than their equivalents in England or Wales

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Research – NHS spending on private sector in Scotland only half that proportionally, in England

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In the Guardian today: Private firms providing services to the NHS including healthcare and consultancy have made £1.6bn in profits over the last two years, research reveals. The findings – on the basis of contracts worth £12bn – have prompted claims of “scandalous” profiteering, concern that the health service is being “taken for a ride” and calls for ministers to impose a cap on maximum profit levels. The £1.6bn in profits made in 2023-24 and 2024-25 would have been enough to pay for 9,178 doctors or 19,428 nurses during that time, according to the Centre for Health and the Public Interest. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/13/private-companies-nhs-services-profit-chpi-research The … Continue reading Research – NHS spending on private sector in Scotland only half that proportionally, in England

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Oxford researchers write thousands of words but fail to mention that significantly fewer ‘austerity children’ were ‘scarred by poverty’ here after nearly two decades of the SNP

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In the Guardian today: More than a fifth of all “austerity generation” British children have been scarred by poverty for at least half their childhood, a direct legacy of the welfare benefit cuts imposed by Conservative governments in recent years, research reveals. The proportion of children born after 2013 who spent at least six of their first 11 years of life in hardship surged after ministers froze working age benefits levels and imposed policies such as the two-child limit, it found. Austerity policies, which drastically shrank annual welfare spending by tens of billions a year and took thousands of pounds … Continue reading Oxford researchers write thousands of words but fail to mention that significantly fewer ‘austerity children’ were ‘scarred by poverty’ here after nearly two decades of the SNP

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‘Dramatic, 5 to 10-fold, increases in biodiversity’ in Scotland in last five years

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From Scotland: The Big Picture, 9 March 2026: New research from sites across the Northwoods Rewilding Network, coordinated by rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, shows that rewilding has led to dramatic increases in biodiversity. On rewilded land, the amount of suitable space and habitat for birds increased more than fivefold, while the numbers of bumblebees and butterflies rose by over tenfold. Separate analysis of the network suggested these rewilded landscapes support an estimated 2.5 million pollinating insects. The findings highlight the critical role that long-term nature recovery can play in reversing biodiversity loss and restoring ecosystem resilience in Scotland. … Continue reading ‘Dramatic, 5 to 10-fold, increases in biodiversity’ in Scotland in last five years